Spirit Doll Transformations

"The doll is symbolic homunculi, little life. It is the symbol of what lies buried in humans that is numinous. It is a small and glowing facsimile of the original Self. Superficially, it is just a doll. But inversely, it represents a little piece of soul that carries all the knowledge of the larger soul-Self.In the doll is the voice, in diminutive, of old La Que Sabe, The One Who Knows..In this way the doll represents the inner spirit of us as women; the voice of inner reason, inner knowing and inner consciousness." Dr. Clarissa Pinkola, Women Who Run With Wolves

October 2015 Featured Fellow Artist

Robin Alice aka Brigit Snyder

Robin Alice, of Robin Alice Creations on Etsy.com, is a natural empath, artist, and dancer who displays her creativity in countless ways. A dance major in college, she darted and twirled her way onstage for many soul-satisfying years. In her mid-20's, though, an unexpected challenge arose with the onset of mental illness, later compounded by breast cancer in 2010. A daily battle to survive has become the impetus for her detailed, gorgeous bead creations, necklaces, totem bags, earrings and dolls.

Her love of movement and freedom poured into each piece, some taking hundreds of hours, some taking years. Her reputation, as both an accomplished bead and Goddess Doll artist, has spread with her growing body of art and is enjoyed by collectors around the world. Explorations into Primitive dolls, Spirit Dolls, and Goddess Dolls all manifest her love of nature, movement and her strong connection to the creative power of life itself. She continues to serve as a mentor and source of inspiration in my life and art and I am honored to share a little of her spirit with you. What follows is a love letter which offers a fascinating glimpse into her unique universe from Robin to you.

"If we look at the world with a love of life, the world will reveal its beauty to us." Daisaku Ikeda, Peacebuilder

The Gathering"I have always felt out of step, literally stumbling through my life. I've never fit in and because of that I've found solace in places many dare not tread. My grandma, mom, sister and myself all have special gifts we were born with. The true aspect manifests for me in how we utilize these gifts and express these treasures."

"At a very young age I loved the art of dance and music. I spent endless hours in the woods, spinning & twirling to the grace of the wind in the trees and the feel of moist rich grass between my toes. Because I'm a square peg in a round hole, I created a world all my own. Since age 3, I have always known that there was so much more to our lives that we don't gather, harvest or celebrate. Spaces in time and slips of elegance in our universe are hammered out of all of us at such a young age and can cause great suffering to the detriment of all.

Children are great and true friends to this world, they bring grace, tranquility and the joy of discovery. Because you see, it is all within us, not lounging on the outside but waiting deep within our atoms in our own internal universe."

"I began to dance at age four. I couldn't live without it. I could express treasures and discoveries I never dreamed. I think one small story will help explain my nature and tenacity to create through dance my will to live and the foundation for my life and creativity. At age five in a dance recital, I found myself in the front line, my glorious coral tutu swirling in time with all the dancers. Then...I fell. As I hit the floor, it felt as if a sledge hammer knocked the wind out of me. Everything happened in a split second while at the same time in a slow motion cocoon. As I looked out in the audience, everyone was laughing uproariously.

Mortified, I began to run for the wings offstage. Suddenly I stopped as the deepest, most profound feeling came over me. I heard a voice within say to me, "If you do not go back and finish this dance it will be your loss, not theirs, and you will not learn a great lesson of healing that will guide you throughout your life. Transfixed, I stopped & turned, running back to my spot on the stage and took up right where I left off, as if I had never stopped. This experience revealed my skill for survival and ignited a quest for continued self-discovery.

We are all given such opportunities as gifts--what makes the difference is if we can recognize these moments as such and incorporate them into our daily lives."

"Dolls are as old as time itself. The gathering of leaves, sticks and tanned hides made wonderful dolls for little girls & boys, thousands of years ago. Many dolls were used in rituals and ceremonies. The Goddess doll originates not only from voodoo dolls, but from the Ancients and their use of dolls in ceremonies.

"I love the timeless, tender feel of the dolls I make. I channel a lot of my spirit into these dolls, resulting in very powerful and protective energies. I intuitively let the work flow through me, rather than me guiding the doll. My hands are only the instrument. The creation of my work with dolls has enabled me to heal and assist in healing others. It's my way of saying, "I love You" to the world."

"To start, I gather some fabric, fibers, buttons, beads, threads and just surrender to the doll. Much of the time as I shift fabric, wrap yarn and embellish I don't know where I'm going. In dance terminology, this is a "trance dance" between the doll and myself. I took a dance class from a master once and I will never forget how the nature of the ingredients that exist in all life comes through, and flows through and, oftentimes, knocks hard on our door to get our attention. Everyone is a great creator. One does not have to be a dancer, poet, painter etc. in order to be a creative person."

"All beings thrive in this creative force. Many religions have a name for it. I practice Nichiren Buddhism and it is referred to as 'the Mystic Law of Cause-and-Effect' or "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo". I think of it as the Divine Force."

"Each person has their own way of divining this life force called creativity. It manifests in how you live your life. Each moment is a creative force that connects us to each other and everything else in the universe and can manifest in both wonder and great suffering. The name we call this force is our own and cannot be taken away by another soul."

I encourage all who may read this little diary to take a walk and breath in the wonderful fresh air. Pay attention to your footsteps with each movement. Notice the sounds and the sights of the gatherings of little creatures and how they, too, dance to their own little rhythms. Be aware of the breath of the wind, the heat from the sun and maybe, just maybe, you will hear the whisper of all the guardians who walk with you and every person, who dances side-by-side with us and all of creation." Love, Robin Alice